The chamber quaked violently, dust and debris cascading from the cavernous ceiling. The eye in the chasm pulped with an eerie glow, its gaze fixated on Ryn. A frigid gust of air erupted from below, carrying with it an unnatural whisper that slithered into his mind.
_You have been marked... the seal weakens... return or be consumed..._
Ryn's breath hitched as an unseen force tugged at him, a gravitational pull both physical and mental. His feet inched forward, dragged toward the edge of the abyss. The masked figure reacted instantly, gripping his shoulder and wrenching him back with a force that sent them both sprawling to the ground.
The hooded figures encircling the platform rose as one, their murmured chants intensifying. Inscriptions across the chamber blazed to life, forming intricate patterns that wove through the very air itself. Symbols twisted, merged, and realigned in rapid succession, as if resisting an overwhelming force.
"What is happening?" Ryn gasped, staggering to his feet.
The masked figure steadied themselves, their voice strained. "The echoes you disturbed have drawn its attention. We have precious moments before it manifests fully. We must leave—NOW."
A deep, guttural sound rumbled from the abyss. The eye narrowed, and the air itself grew heavier. The inscriptions along the walls flickered in and out of coherence, struggling against the oppressive force seeping from the chasm.
One of the hooded figures turned to them, their voice laced with urgency. "You have to sever the link! It latched onto you, boy! If you do not break free, it will consume you!"
Panic surged through Ryn. He barely understood what was happening, yet the sheer weight of the presence below left no room for doubt—he was in mortal danger. The markings on his palm, the ones that had ignited upon touching the platform, still smoldered faintly. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, trying to will the connection away.
The eye in the abyss widened.
The whispers surged into a deafening cacophony.
_You cannot escape. You are already ours._
Pain flared in Ryn's skull, sharp and sudden, like needles piercing into his very thoughts. He collapsed to his knees, hands clutching his head as his vision blurred. Dark tendrils of energy writhed from the chasm, reaching for him, coiling around his limbs. His body convulsed as an alien presence tried to anchor itself within him.
Then—
A piercing chime rang through the chamber.
The masked figure, now standing between Ryn and the abyss, raised a hand, a new set of inscriptions burning into existence around them. They moved with precision, drawing a glyph in the air, one unlike any Ryn had ever seen before.
A barrier of shimmering engravings erupted between him and the chasm, cutting through the encroaching tendrils like a blade through smoke.
The presence reeled back, its whispers momentarily silenced. The inscriptions surged with power, pushing back the abyssal force. The eye in the chasm blinked once before vanishing into the void, its malevolent aura receding—but not disappearing entirely.
The shaking subsided, though an ominous chill remained in the air.
Ryn gasped, his body trembling from the experience. The masked figure turned to him, voice low and grave. "This was no ordinary encounter. Whatever lurks below has marked you, Ryn. You cannot remain ignorant any longer. You must learn the true nature of inscriptions."
Still recovering, Ryn managed a hoarse whisper. "Then teach me."
The masked figure studied him for a long moment before nodding. "Very well. But be warned—once you walk this path, there is no turning back."
Ryn wiped the sweat from his brow, glancing back at the chasm one last time. Though the eye had disappeared, he could still feel it watching.
And he knew—this was only the beginning.
The chamber still echoed with the dying whispers of the abyss. Ryn sat motionless on the cold stone floor, his breath ragged, his mind reeling. He could still feel the unseen mark left upon him, a presence lingering just beneath his skin, pulsing like a second heartbeat. No matter how he steadied himself, the chill of that gaze from the abyss refused to leave him.
The masked figure, standing over him, finally broke the silence. "You should not have touched the inscriptions. You were not ready."
Ryn clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. "I didn't expect—" He swallowed, the memory of the eye still fresh. "I didn't expect any of this. What was that thing? And why did it latch onto me?"
The figure exhaled, their voice heavy. "That... is a question without a simple answer."
Ryn forced himself to his feet, legs unsteady but firm. "Then give me the complicated answer."
A pause. The masked figure studied him before gesturing toward the intricate engravings still glowing faintly along the chamber walls. "Inscriptions are more than mere etchings of power. They are echoes of something greater, pieces of a language older than this world itself. The more one delves into them, the more they listen back. That thing below—it is no simple force. It is an intelligence, an existence bound to the deepest engravings ever made. And now, it has set its eyes on you."
Ryn felt a shiver run through him. "And what does that mean?"
"It means you do not have the luxury of ignorance anymore."
The other hooded figures had retreated, their murmurs fading into the distant corridors of the cavern. Only Ryn and the masked figure remained before the chasm. The inscriptions that had briefly shielded him were dimming, the intricate patterns fracturing as if struggling to retain their form.
The masked figure extended a gloved hand. "You asked me to teach you. This is your last chance to turn back. If you take this step, there will be no return to an ordinary life."
Ryn stared at the outstretched hand. A part of him hesitated. He thought of his village, of the life he had once envisioned for himself. But that life had been stripped away the moment he stepped onto this path. And now, something far greater loomed ahead of him—something he had to understand, no matter the cost.
He took the masked figure's hand.
A surge of warmth rushed up his arm, the sensation of inscriptions unfurling across his skin, as if acknowledging his choice. The masked figure nodded. "Then let us begin."
They led Ryn through the dimly lit corridors, deeper into the labyrinthine network of the underground sanctum. As they walked, the walls themselves seemed to shift, inscriptions slithering across the stone, forming new patterns with every step. It was as if the entire structure was alive, whispering its secrets to those willing to listen.
"The path of an Engraving Master is not just about carving power into reality," the masked figure spoke, their tone measured. "It is about comprehension. The more you understand, the more the inscriptions reveal to you. But knowledge is a double-edged blade. The deeper you go, the more you risk losing yourself."
Ryn absorbed every word, his mind sharpening despite the exhaustion. "And what exactly is it that I need to understand first?"
The masked figure stopped before a large stone door, etched with glyphs that pulsed like a beating heart. "That the world you know is a lie. And to carve your own truth, you must first unmake the one that was given to you."
With a single motion, they pressed a hand to the inscriptions, and the door groaned open.
Beyond it lay a library of engraved tablets, each one humming with power.
Ryn stepped forward, feeling the weight of knowledge settle onto his shoulders.
His journey had truly begun.